Forbes columnist Steven Salzberg and author-investigator Joe Nickell will each be awarded the 2012 Robert P. Balles Prize in Critical Thinking, to be presented by the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry at the CFI Summit in October.

Comments on NDE Experiment: Ethical Concerns

I stand by my comment that “If Parnia does the experiments properly, and his patients really can see those images, then I will change my mind about the paranormal. I don’t think it's going to happen but I do think it’s worth him making the attempt.”

Dieguez claims (without giving evidence) that the targets are not kept blind or randomized properly. If he’s right the experiments are worthless, but let us suppose they are done properly. Anecdotal reports of veridical NDEs may be “unconvincing” to Dieguez, but they convince many people. So if experiments can show that paranormal claims are unverifiable (which I expect they will) and can also explain why people have these experiences even if nothing leaves the body, then this would greatly improve people’s understanding of death and dying. Alternatively, if experiments show that people really do see hidden targets (which I do not expect but could conceivably happen), then this would be a dramatic challenge to most of science. The comparison with the intelligent design debate is false. ID proponents do not propose viable experiments that could potentially provide such a challenge.

As for ethics—yes, Dieguez is “overreacting a little bit.” The targets cannot harm patients (unless you believe in the paranormal). The critical point is when the doctor asks whether the patients would like to talk about their experiences. As long as they are given the chance to talk (as many like to do) or to decline to say anything at all then I see no serious ethical problem.

I want these experiments to be done. All those millions of people out there who proclaim they “know” they have a spirit that will survive death and “know” that consciousness has powers beyond the body deserve to have their claims tested.

Susan Blackmore

Susan Blackmore is Reader in the Department of Psychology, University of the West of England, Bristol BS16 2JP.

Content copyright CSI or the respective copyright holders. Do not redistribute without obtaining permission. Articles, reports, reviews, and letters published on the CSICOP.org website represent the views and work of individual authors. Their publication does not necessarily constitute and endorsement by CSI or its members unless so stated. Thanks to the ESO for the image of the Helix Nebula, also NASA, ESA and the Hubble Heritage Team for the image of NGC 3808B (ARP 87).